New Orleans dragonfly in flight
probably my favorite bug
Although I’ve sculpted dragonflies a number of times and I’ve even sculpted one or two in competition, I’ve never done a dragonfly ice art piece. They’re probably my favorite bugs and I’m looking forward to creating some fun ice art from these guys. In the end, my dragonfly ice art will be even larger than one of their giant prehistoric relatives, dragonfly-like bugs from the genus Meganeura. I love the modern-day versions, but with wings at over 2 feet wide, I doubt I’d be a fan 
However, if they would handle the giant cockroaches, then we could talk 
I’m still working on this post, as I’m starting to put together my ideas for this ice art design. I’ll change the post date if I make some major changes, so that it rises to the top of the blog.
dragonfly ice art inspirations all around!
The unusual looking dragonfly above was on my camera roll. Saw him out in the yard once. He almost appeared to be playing dead, but after hanging around for a few pics, quickly flew away, so no worries.
Living in New Orleans, since there’s almost always some swampy water nearby, you see dragonflies regularly. And I often stop to take pictures of them or at least watch them. And I have a tendency to see them as omens of good luck 
Occasionally, they’ll let me get close, and once in a long while, one will even let me hold him.
Sadly, it looks like I’ve missed an opportunity to learn more about dragonflies, as the place for all things bugs, the Audubon Insectarium, is closing, due to the Covid-19 downturn. I’d always meant to go there, but I missed my chance. Perhaps not all is lost, however, as they’re apparently revamping the nearby Audubon Aquarium to house exhibits from the Insectarium. Hopefully, dragonflies will make the cut.
my approach for this ice art piece
I’m looking forward to making very detailed wings for this dragonfly. Being able to add the vein details would be fantastic! And also, I think there will be a lot of work on the head to do, and certainly the legs as well. Making the legs for a sculpture that will be displayed is kind of ridiculous. They would be hard to transport and would likely disappear within minutes. But for the ice art version, they would be a necessity.
a very old, ancient by ice sculpting standards, photo of a dragonfly ice sculpture at brunch. I’ll see if I can’t find the original pic sometime; I’ll have to look in old albums.
my past efforts
You can see the winter dragonfly from a wedding in earlier pics. That’s a relatively recent ice sculpture from a wedding in Destin, Florida, if I remember correctly. On the other hand, the sculpture above is from a long time ago, back when I sculpted ice in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was for a Sunday brunch at a hotel.
I remember, while I was setting up the dragonfly, one of the employees was trying to help me move the sculpture. I was telling him not to help, but he apparently didn’t understand. Of course, it broke Since I didn’t have tons of experience with broken sculptures at that point, and it was sitting in the sunlight in the hotel’s atrium, that sculpture made me pretty nervous. I remember checking on it frequently. These days, I would’ve just said see ya later, and headed home, lol
final stuff about dragonflies
last updated 9-11-20
